“Does being in the dark make you feel better? You should know by now why they keep things from you.”
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” I said, afraid of the answer.
“Just get in the car,” Kim said, settling in behind the wheel.
The drive to Quincy was silent, but when we slowed to a stop in front of a large gate, Ryan and I shared a collective gasp.
“This is your house?” Ryan asked. Staring in awe at the looming mansion ahead.
“Yep,” Kim said, keying in a code.
The gate opened slowly, and then Kim accelerated slowly. The gravel drive crunched beneath the Sentra's tires.
“No way,” Ryan said, his mouth hung open.
“Yes, way,” Kim said, turning off the engine.
Ryan and I leaned against our windows, amazed at the colossal building in front of us. It wasn’t a home, it was a fortress.
“If you’re so rich, why do you drive this piece of shi—,” Ryan began.
“The Sentra serves her purpose,” Kim interrupted.
I stepped onto the gravel drive. It snaked all the way to the large, detached garage. Her house was bigger than mine, and far more equipped with security. Cameras were mounted on every corner, and the black iron fence blocking general traffic from entering the drive spanned the entire estate.
Two large dogs ran with great leaps, barking wildly until they reached us.
“Hey boys!” Kim said, giving them both loving, vigorous scratches. When the reunion was over, she turned to us. “This is Zeus, and the little one is Hera.”
“Neither of them are little,” Ryan said.
The dogs led us to the front entrance, wagging their tails with such fervor, their entire back half wiggled with the movement.
Kim opened the door, revealing a vast foyer. A small, round table stood in the center of the room, boasting an incredible vase that held beautiful, long-stemmed flowers.
“Charlie!” Kim bellowed into the air, causing the dogs to bark. “Charlie!” she said again. Her voice echoed across the marble tile.
Two men entered the foyer, both no less than six feet, six inches tall. They were nearly equal in their massive size, and so intimidating that I realized I was unconsciously cowering behind Ryan.
The largest of the two had a full, brown beard. When his eyes focused on Kim, he held out his arms, and a wide smile broke across his face. “Boo Boo!” he said, his booming voice reverberating throughout the house.
Kim made her way to him quickly, and as tall as she was, the massive arms that encircled her made her seem tiny. Kim’s feet came off the ground as the man arched his back, and then returned her to earth after a few sweet moments.
“Nigh…Ryan…this is my dad, Charles Pollock. And this is my uncle Bruce.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said, watching as my hand disappeared into each of theirs when I shook them.
Ryan did the same, but he didn’t seem intimidated at all.
“How’s school, Kimmie?” Bruce asked.
“I’m not really here to catch up. I brought Nina to meet you.”
“Oh?” Charles asked, suddenly suspicious.
Bruce reached behind him, but stopped, looking beyond me.
“Let’s all just relax, here,” Jared said from behind me. I turned to see both of his arms outstretched in front of him, his Glock securely between his hands.
Bruce glanced at Charlie, me, and then at Kim, grudgingly pulling his sidearm slow and careful from behind him to the ground.
“It’s okay, Bruce,” Kim said.
Jared released the hold he had on his weapon, and then stood beside me, placing it on the table next to him.
Bruce pulled another gun from his back, pointing it at Jared's face, but then his shoulders dropped. “How many of them are there?” he said.
“Three,” Claire said. I turned to see her in the same stance as Jared. “And if you pull a weapon on us again, I’ll blow your knee cap.”
“Bruce,” Kim said, shaking her head in warning.
Bruce put the second gun down, and then pulled up his pant leg, revealing another gun. He set all three side by side on the ground, and then stood.
“You sure you don’t want to check the other leg?” Claire asked, her weapon still drawn.
Bruce sighed, and then reached down, pulling a rather large hunting knife from a holster. “That’s all of it.”
“Kim,” Charles said, stiff and nervous. “What’s going on, here?”
Kim reached out to her father. “Nina is my friend, Dad. And she’s important. These people are here to protect her. They’re not here to harm us.”
Charles nodded slowly, and then touched the arm of this brother. “Easy, Bruce.”
Bruce relaxed, then, and Claire stepped out of her rigid stance, replacing her gun in its holster.
Jared turned to me. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Don’t cuss at me,” I said, immediately defensive.
Anger lit Jared’s eyes. “You…you have no idea how dangerous it is for you right now.”
“Maybe I would if you would just
“If I told you everything, you wouldn’t want to leave the house. And I don’t want that for you,” he said, his eyes dark. “But you can’t do certain things, Nina, and running off with two humans without telling me where you’re going is one of them.”
“I’m sorry,” I huffed. “I thought you’d just follow.”
“Oh,” Jared said, taken aback. “You did?”
“Oh, Christ, let’s hear what Kim has to say and get out of here,” Claire snapped.
I peeked at our audience, embarrassed about the outburst. “Sorry,” I said, clearing my throat.
“The book,” Kim said to Charles.
“Kim!” Bruce said. Charles touched his brother’s arm, and Bruce immediately silenced.
“They know,” Kim said.
“You’re the son of Gabriel, aren’t you?” Charles said, in awe.
“One of them,” Jared answered.
Bruce’s face turned red. “Thief. If he wouldn’t have taken the damn book none of this would be happening.”
Claire took a step forward, and Jared gripped her shoulder. “You call my father that again,” Claire seethed, “and it will be the last words that come from your mouth.”
“They're going to help me,” Kim interceded.
“What?” Charles said, confused.
“Jared promised to help me return the Demoniac to the Sepulchre in Jerusalem.”
Charles' eyes darted to Jared. “Is this true?”
“Yes,” Jared said. “I need time to study it, but after that, you have my word.”
Charles took a step back, and then walked several steps away with Bruce right behind him. They conversed in low whispers, and then returned.
“We can't trust them,” Charles said, finality in his tone.
“None of that matters, now,” Kim said. “We’ve all got some history, here, that’s apparent. But we need to focus on the problem. Dad, Nina is the women in the prophecy in the Naissance de Demoniac. Does that mean anything to you?”
Charles’ eyes shifted to mine, and then he scanned me from my hair to my shoes. “No,” he paused. “Who is she?”
Kim turned to me. “I told you. We’re not allowed to open the book. He knows nothing.”
“Is that why you came here?” Jared said, livid. “I could have told you that! If Charles knew anything, Gabe
